Michael Gallup

Gallup enters his fifth NFL season with both role security and financial security, having signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract shortly before the Cowboys dealt Amari Cooper to Cleveland. The problem, at least short term, is Gallup's rehab from the ACL tear he suffered Jan. 2 and had surgery on Feb. 10. While the first few months of Gallup's rehab reportedly went well, team owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged multiple times that the wideout is unlikely to be ready for Week 1. Once available, Gallup should be the Cowboys' No. 2 receiver, behind only 2020 first-round pick CeeDee Lamb. While he doesn't quite have Lamb's pedigree, Gallup was a third-round pick in 2018 and showed his ability in 2019 with 1,107 yards in 14 games. He then fell off in 2020 along with the rest of the Dallas offense with QB Dak Prescott sidelined, and in 2021 he averaged only 49.4 yards in his nine appearances. Given their offseason moves, the Cowboys must be optimistic that Gallup will not only recover from the ACL tear but also recapture his 2019 form as he enters what should be his prime at age 26. He's expected to return early in the season, though probably not for Week 1.

Gallup reprised his role as the team’s field-stretcher in 2020, with 14.3 YPC on 105 targets. His efficiency dropped, however, from 9.5 YPT in 2019 to 8.0 last year, but that’s not especially surprising considering the QBs with whom he played once Dak Prescott went down in Week 5. At 6-1, 198, and with average (4.52) timed speed, Gallup’s physical attributes don’t jump out, but he’s athletic, explosive and probably faster than his Combine time. Gallup has struggled with drops at times — six last year after 10 in 2019 — and he’s competing for targets with two high-pedigree options in Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. Still, if Dak Prescott returns to full health, something he’s on pace to do, the Cowboys' passing game can feed all three, and Gallup should benefit from frequent single coverage, especially on deep routes.

After what could more aptly be described as a canter in 2018, Gallup went full speed in Year 2, with 16.8 YPC (3rd), 9.8 YPT (5th), 18 catches of 20-plus yards and five catches of 40-plus in only 14 games. And Gallup left something on the table, dropping 10 of his 113 targets. At 6-1, 198, Gallup has only average size, and his timed speed (4.52 40) is similarly middle of the road. But he's quick, explosive and athletic, and Dak Prescott likes to target his wideouts downfield - both Gallup and Amari Cooper finished top 10 in average depth of target among 100-target WRs. Despite all the big plays, Gallup had only six touchdowns, in large part because he was rarely used in the red zone - only eight targets there all year, and only two were from inside the 10. In fact, Cooper himself saw only nine in the red zone, as the Cowboys passed less when they got in close - Dak Prescott was only 18th in red-zone pass attempts, and tied for 30th in attempts inside the 10, despite being sixth in total attempts. That could change this year with coach Mike McCarthy taking over for Jason Garrett, as Aaron Rodgers was always among the league leaders in red-zone attempts during McCarthy's days in Green Bay. With Cooper re-signing this offseason and CeeDee Lamb drafted in the first round, Gallup will have plenty of competition for Prescott's attention, but Randall Cobb's 83 targets have vacated to Houston, so each of the three receivers could stay busy.

The 81st overall pick last year, Gallup emerged as Dak Prescott's clear No. 2 target opposite Amari Cooper late in the season, culminating in a 9-6-119-0 receiving line in a playoff loss to the Rams. Overall, Gallup showed some promise - 15.4 YPC, 7.5 YPT, two 40-plus yard catches on 68 targets - despite meager production for the first half of the year. At 6-1, 198, and with 4.52 40 speed, Gallup has merely average measurables, but he was productive in college and showed good burst as a rookie. He also is reliable, dropping only one pass all year. For 2019, he'll reprise his late-season role as Cooper's complement, and while the Cowboys signed Randall Cobb and are throwing to Ezekiel Elliott more, this is not an especially deep receiving corps. There's opportunity if Gallup can further refine his skills.

Taken in the third round, Gallup has a good chance for a prominent role as early as this year. Jason Witten and Dez Bryant's exits leave a 219-target hole in the passing attack, and Allen Hurns and Terrance Williams, who had 78 targets last year, can't fill it alone. (Moreover, Williams is returning from a broken foot and was arrested in May, so he could face a suspension.) Enter Gallup, who at 6-1, 198, and running a 4.52 40 has merely average measurables, but put up big numbers at Colorado State. Cole Beasley and Deonte Thompson are also in the mix, but unlike Gallup they're known quantities with limited upside. The Cowboys will almost certainly be a run-first team, but Gallup could quickly emerge as one of Dak Prescott's first reads when they decide to throw.